If there’s one thing an editing service or proofreading service can tell you, it’s that reviewing a piece of writing requires a lot of time and effort. The piece itself may be written well and not require too much intervention to prepare it for publication, but there’s always something lurking in the content, some error that needs fixing. Text requires constant revision, and to meet your deadline, you must know how much work the review process entails.
An editing service or proofreading service can help because they have both the linguistic and project management skills to thoroughly review a document within an allotted time frame to a high standard. There is a path that editors tend to follow: plan in advance, focus and concentrate, contact the writer in case of implementing any big changes, such as rewritten material. No editing service or proofreading service worth their salt would ignore such steps. However, it is also easy to proofread or edit copy poorly. This serves no one and only reflects badly on the writer, whose work has been compromised, and the editor, who has done a poor job. Most likely, such a situation arose because of the following mistakes. Firstly, skim reading. A quick once-over is all well and good as the final check before the deadline arrives. But you should never employ this tactic at any other stage because it is inevitable that you will miss errors: perhaps ‘no’ has been spelt ‘on’ or a sentence lacks a full stop. These are simple issues. But if the editor misses them, they have done a poor job. The solution: read methodically and read everything. Equally, an editing service or proofreading service will never advocate leaving checks to the last minute, if it can be avoided. This is because editorial reviews require time, effort and concentration. Moreover, a document will most likely need multiple reads if the editor is to find all the errors hidden within the text. Delaying doing the work will only sacrifice the final product’s quality because it is highly likely that something fixable has been missed. Ignoring the style guide or specific instructions is also the wrong approach. Style guides, for instance, indicate what form the copy should take: word limit, variety of English, formatting and so on. The author may well have outlined similar requirements. An editing service or proofreading service that ignores such instructions is only making a rod for its own back; the most likely outcome is angry feedback from the writer and the demand to do it properly, only this time in a far shorter period. What the customer wants, the customer gets. On a related note, never assume you know best. If the editor is unsure about something, such as ambiguous material, unclear points or something that otherwise needs fixing or explaining, contact the author with a query or suggestion. Failing to do so runs the risk of making the text worse, which will only require additional work to undo the damage. Read More: The Importance of Collaboration in the Editorial Process These Are the Key Skills All Editors and Proofreaders Require
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